Safe Arrival!! Wednesday, December 16

After two days of travel i finally made it! What an adventure! The plane rides here were very long and interesting but i enjoyed it alot, i got to sleep alot of the way and so i was full of energy when i landed in Resistencia last night around 10 30. Where we just went to the mission presidents house and slept in a apartment across the street, the mission presidents house is like a compound haha, its so secure that noone is really able to rob it at all, this morning we woke up and had a delicious breakfast and then we had personal study in the compound, then after going over all of the rules weve gone out contacting and every person we have talked to has wanted us to come visit them, which has blown my mind, my spanish isnt very good at all and it is hard to understand what they are saying but i love it so much, and they are very nice and patient with me as i am trying to teach them! haha its alot of fun but it is very hot here! im kind of getting used to it already but its just going to get hotter, they say i can go get a cowboy hat to wear. anyways i got to go! i love you and ill talk to you later

Friday, December 11 -- The Final MTC Email!

Wow where has the time gone!?!?! Hey fam! Today is my last p day in the mtc!! About time haha, i am so excited to get out of here and to head to Argentina where i can finally start actually doing what ive practiced what ive done all day for the past nine weeks!! So really quick i leave here at 5 am and get to Dallas airport around noon so ill call around then! And then i can call later that night around 5 or so when i get to Miami and then i have a 14 hour flight to buenos aires, which im pretty psyched for! Over half of the population of Argentina lives in one city so im way excited to see how big it is! This week has been a very easy week and went by super fast! Im really going to miss the friends i have made here, but im so excited to finally get out, this past week i have had an obsession with elder holland!! He is absolutley my favorite speaker ever, he is so bold and i am addicted to every talk he gives, there are alot he has given at the mtc that are so much better than any general conference talk so its been a huge blessing to hear those talks. Thank you so much for all of the stuff you guys have given me! It means so much! This week, not much new stuff has happened, im going to send alot of pictures home and alot of other stuff, maybe, i dont know how im going to pack, ill probably just stuff it all in the case and then deal with it when i get into the field or something, everyone is having a problem with being overweight with their baggage but i seem to be the opposite and i am starting to wonder if im forgetting everything haha, but oh well. I met with the consul of Argentina this week, who was really chill and very nice to us, even though you can tell he likes to make fun of the missionaries, he counseled us to not ask people about religion which was funny to me, alot of missionaries took that very seriously and actually started causing contention which was retarted, but i liked to visit with him and im excited for Resistencia, ive talked to alot of Argentines and they said that all of the people from Resistencia are mean haha, so that makes me even more excited! I cant wait for the rejection! It sounds alot of fun to me for some reason, maybe it wont be when im out there, but at least i can laugh anything off that goes bad. Anyways i cant wait to get there, i have no clue what it looks like, feels like, or in any way picture what it is like! Nothing else is really new yet, i dont know if i have my visa but im not worried, um... yup i saw my teacher for the last time last night, that was sad, he was a really good example. Hmm, i cant think of much else, maybe its because i get to call so that will be better, i hate writing haha. The zone im in is really hating that we are leaving because we have been so close and tight but i am pretty excited to go! The temple was so good for the last time in two years so im glad i ended on a good note! Anyways i love you so much and ill call you on monday! Oh if you didnt get my letter i sent home i really want another sd card for my camera if you can and a collapsable laundry bag, or just even a bag so i can pack it up and take it home. Well i love you all and next time you will hear from me ill be on my way to Argentina!! I love you all so so much! Thank you for all of the letters and support!

Friday, December 4 2009 -- He Misses Us!!

I am so missing my family!! haha but what can i do? Ive been working pretty hard here and alot has gone on this week, ive learned alot and i have finally won the loyalty and friendship of my whole district which is awesome, i have made alot of new friends which has been great and i have loved the MTC, but i am so ready for Argentina its not even funny! This week we went to the TRC, which is where we practice teaching in spanish and i totally rocked at it! But not because my spanish was good but because i didn't care how i sounded, my companion and i taught the greatest lesson!! The guy who we practiced with has become one of our great friends over the past few weeks, but its really hard to practice with him because he isnt good at pretending to be an investigator, if hes supposed to have a problem with the word of wisdom or have doubts about Joseph Smith he is the complete opposite and will testify on everything! haha so he mostly teaches us, but this week i wanted to really teach him something so i pulled out D&C 38:1 and we studied that verse for like 15 mins and then we discussed the atonement and then the nature of god, he was totally teaching us until i pulled out a scripture from john 5:19-20, which talks about Christ not doing anything the Father hasn't done and it really blew him away! He got so excited that when my teacher came to tell us its over that the guy told him to go away and give us more time to talk about it! It was alot of fun doing it in Spanish and it made me so excited to get out of here! Its easy to study hard here because i love it so much but when it comes time for class i would rather be out tracting or contacting!! Well this week was tuff at first because one of our district members did end up leaving, so we all were sad and sunday was like the worst day yet. We went to the temple sunday night to walk around it and it wasn't as fun as it used to be and we all just sat around, didnt really talk, well all of the sudden the member of our district who left came walking up to us, and told us of his story of how when he went home nothing made him happy until he decided that he would come back, it was really good and we were all so happy! Probably one of the happiest times of our lives when we realized that Satan had lost that battle that he thought he had won just a day earlier. So that helped with unifying the district and then something just clicked and now we are all as tight as can be! I really cant believe i only have one p-day left! i am so excited i cant wait to get out there!! We were supposed to get our flight plans yesterday...... So we are all a little worried so we hope they come tonight or monday. Alot of stuff has happened this week that has challenged alot of our districts faith, Satan is real, and hes working harder than ever to tear my district apart, and its very apparent to see those who were really strong at first starting to stumble now, and its so hard to see that, i am trying to help but i dont know how much i can do, i try to get them to stick to what they know, to always use the book of mormon and use it as their fortress so to speak, i dont have a problem with it, Satan has tried and failed with me and so such a loser has no effect on me. I am so excited to go down to Argentina and break the chains that satan has on the people down there. Stick to the basics of the gospel, with what has gone on this past week i am really worried for the members of the church, i keep thinking about how in the latter days satan will decieve the very "elect", he will trick those members of the church into believeing something that seems good, but its not. I have watched Elder Hollands safety for the soul talk like 6 times this week trying to understand to rely on the book of mormon and those leaders who lead us! Well i love you and know that i am doing well! Thank you so so so so so much for your support! I absolutely look forward to the letters i receive! I think this is the last week for packages! hahahaha i need more red cream soda! Anyways i absoltuely miss every single member of my family! This past week has been tuff on the district but i just recall all of the times that i have done stuff with all of my family and how the gospel has blessed us and i look at my grandparents and my aunts and my uncles and my cousins and my parents and my siblings and realizes that all of that is worth all that i have! That satan cant have any power over me after everything that everyone has done for me! You dont even know how much i love and miss you all!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Tuff week... Haha but it was a good learning one, during the temple last week i just thought so much about how i can help the elders in my district who are having a hard time putting their heart into the work, so on sunday i gave a really powerful lesson on getting your heart into the work, and i know that it worked on one or two of the elders. And then i had some really good friends, who i met the first week i was here, leave on monday and that really sucked! Now everything i do without them just feels empty and it is not a fun feeling at all. But ive worked really hard this week trying to push past all of the tuff feelings that ive felt, Elder Oaks really helped me on tuesday night when he came to visit and that was a really powerful experience, one i will never forget, after his talk i never felt so much excitment to get down to Argentina, but sadly some of the Elders in my district didn't heed his counsel... Wednesday was by far the worst day, from the beginning of last week one of the elders in my District has had a hard time and really has wanted to go home, because he doesnt feel adequate enough or something, so hes been sleeping during study and really putting a damper on his companion, well Wednesday afternoon, after gym we went to class and he and his companion never showed up. This made me uneasy so i asked if anyone in the District knew anything about it, two elders, who were roomates with him and his companion, said they knew what it was but that it wasnt my concern. I asked them as District Leader if it was something i was to know about since it was my responsibility to take care of my district, they told me to back off and that it was none of my business... So i continued to worry about him, feeling deep inside that i knew what was wrong, anyways the companionship who knew something got up and left saying they needed something from the room, the rest of us sat in the room and didnt know what to do so we just studied, after about 5 mins i felt a really strong impression to go find this Elder, because something wasnt right, so i grabbed the rest of my district and we ran around the MTC trying to find him. After 30 mins we found the companionship and his companion sitting in a hallway near the main office, the elder was calling to have his parents come get him. The whole time i was there the three elders wouldn't tell me anything and totally treated me like crap, saying this is none of my business and i have no room to do anything. So i didnt know what to do for about fifteen mins until Elder Taylor, a good friend in the District, came and i told him what was going on, and he totally chastised them with the Spirit and it was really cool to see that, totally reminded me of Nephi. Anyways we sat in the hall, my companion and i with the rest of the elders going to Resistencia, and then the other companionship and his companion sat down the hall, not wanting anything to do with us. THey are all going to Neoquin, so i ran up and grabbed my teacher and told her what was wrong and she came down, anyways to make a long story short he was convinced to stay and now we have this huge rift in my district, resistencia whose trying to be nice about it, and neoquin who wants nothing to do with us, and im really frustrated trying to figure out how im supposed to get the group back together when one side hates me and the other likes me... Its really tuff and ive talked to my teachers about it and it is by far one of the most difficult challenges of the MTC. Other than that Thanksgiving was awesome, Elder Holland came and talked to us so that was freakin awesome! Dinner was delicous but it was wierd, i had a very weird feeling the wholetime, homesickness mixed with excitement. After that we had a few humanitarian meetings preparing us for the nighttime and then we had two hours of free time, most of which i spent with the other districts in my zone because my district wasn't doing the best after what happened the night before. Then we had a good service activity and ended the night with song. loved it! Then i spent a full 3 and a half hours in the celestial room where i had an awesome feeling of eternal yearing if that makes sense, its the only way i can describe it! I cant wait to leave this life after my experience today haha! Anyways thank you so much for all of you love and support! Home sounds like alot of fun and i miss you guys sooo much! Tell Luna i miss her so! I need a pic of our family!! i dont have one yet! Oh and i need a pic of luna and i need a laundry bag... Anyways thanks for the gifts this week! i loved the red cream soda! If i can have one thing it would definitly be that!! Love you and see you in DECEMBER!! Christmas SONGS!!

November 20, 2009 -- Loving the Service

Hey fam! Not much is new here, life is good and everything is pretty fun. To answer your questions my jaw is fine and im not sure about my visa but as of right now everything is fine. I am really wanting chips and salsa and real food, i dont really like cookies and to tell you the truth ive probably only had one cookie lol, the rest ive given away, the district loves the cookies by the way!! So if you want i would love some red cream soda and some really good chips and salsa, i cant think of anything for christmas, probably nothing would suffice for right now haha. Im happy with what i have. Oh this week i need you to buy me a normal basketball so we can give it to one of our teachers who has been a good help, they arent allowed so make sure to package it good. I really need it, its not for me but for my teacher. She deserves it, my teachers have been a really good help and i am so grateful for them! The Language is coming along great, we called people around the usa in spanish and that was really tuff but it was fun. I am really, really, really missing music and that really sucks but its ok. Ill get to be the wednesday greeter once before i leave, but its ok i would rather study instead of doing that! Ive learned so much this past week its crazy! I have loved working so hard and i havent focused on my self at all this week! Its been awesome this week flew by so fast! Yesterday we were asked if we could help with a humanitarian project as a district and most of the district didnt want to because it was during our p day and we would only have like a half hour for letters. But as i was thinking that day it was really ridiculous that after all we have learned to put the lord first that they would rather have their day of rest, so that night i pulled everyone into my room and told them how rediculous it was that we are too selfish to do service for the lord! After a couple mins of chastening they all were willing to help me with the service today and it turned out to be a great experience, i could have used the sleep because i haven't been so exhausted in my life! But i knew i couldn't be selfish and i am trying to give my all to the lord, and how would i show that by taking a nap instead of serving? Anyways i love being district leader because as the days wear on us we start to lose confidence and a positive attitude and through this i get to help my district pull through the stresses and the hardships and its alot of fun for me, its real life for everyone else but to me this is a game, i love it here, the exhaustion, crappy food(because its the same everyday pretty much), the endless hours of studying (which doesn't seem like enough time!), and the endless amount of friends i get to have, even though it sucks when the mtc takes away our friends. Thats the worst part when youve had a friend from the beginning and then they take them all away, but thats life and its for a good purpose. This week i had a few way awesome chats online with people, my favorite was a guy from Jerusalem who had a hard time with faith, to make a long story short he talked for a long time before i got him to start answering his own questions and in the end as i was finishing i felt the absolute, overflowing love for him, and an overpowering thought that said that "I love him so much." And i knew Jesus Christ was using me to help this man, i let him knew exactly how Jesus felt about him and i was so blessed with that experience! My companion is alot like Collin! He is way random and insanely funny, (Speaking of which Collin, his cousin created The Misadventures of FlapJack!) So we talk about that cartoon alot at nights while we are falling asleep. He cant really say his "th's" that well and come out as D's which is so fun, hes such a chill companion that when we are forced to have inventory to see what we can do better and to stop bugging each other we just sort of make things up to make the teacher feel like were trying, but we really have never had a problem. This week we both sprained our ankles pretty bad in gym so we were hobbling around the mtc like dorks it was alot of fun for some reason. Ya the only thing i really want is red cream soda and chips and salsa, lots of chips and salsa, thanks for all of the letters this week and thanks for all of the Jokes Derek! I used the watermelon and the football one in a LGM this week and it was pretty hilarious. Next week Elder Holland is coming to chill with us during thanksgiving so im betting that he is going to eat dinner with me ;) ill let you know how that goes! Anyways i love you guys and ill see you later!

District Leader! November 13, 2009

Here is Nate's latest letter:

Well hello!! This week has been a very busy week and a very fun one at that!! I have studied the crap out of everything i could and i have done very well in speaking spanish, i try every other day to speak spanish all day!! I love it!! Right now im just learning to focus on peoples needs and that is the tuffest part yet!! So i have had alot of teachers help me practice by going to this website called 6 billion others which you definitly have to check out! its awesome!! Thats all i have to say about it, that should spark your curiosity enough to go check it out! but i love it! I am pretty much missing any type of music possible so i spend alot of my free time, usually less than 15 mins a day, playing the piano!which is fun and something that i really missed! I have learned alot about the gospel and spanish which is so cool! Because i know that i couldnt do it by myself! The only free time i have is at night when all we do is quote lordoftherings and write in our journals. I was made District Leader last sunday so i have alot of responsiblities and so my sundays are packed from 7 to 4! I dont even have time to study on sunday but its ok because i love my district and i love to be their leader, even though they are way better than i am! My two teachers are the best! They are so inspiring and make us work harder than ever!! The toughest thing in the MTC right now is looking at the mountians and not being able to climb them! ahah but its ok! I love how much ive learned and have grown in the past couple weeks! I am already half way done with the MTC and its crazy!! Im having a hard time with talking when i wake up for some reason though, my jaw, for the past week and a half, has hurt really bad and i am unable to move it for a few mins after i wake up, haha but i dont really care its just another challenge i can overcome. umm, this week has gone by too fast to think of everything i have done haha, i kind of have fallen into routine, studying, studyimg, studying, studying! So not much new has happened! I sent some pics home so i hope you like those!! I have made alot of friends this past week and its so wierd to see all of the ones i made at first leave, its wierd how it seems the mission is always getting rid of the friends you make, if that makes sense, but its for a good cause i guess. Anyways we get to go to the temple once a week and i love it! I will spend more than an hour in the celestial room and just think!! Its the best! Well not much else has happened since last week, be sure to keep me updated on home!! i sure miss you guys! I love you all!! My favorite chapter of the book of mormon is Alma 26! Everyone read it! PEACE!!

November 6, 2009

Hi Everyone! This is a good one. I am so proud of Nate. He really seems to be growing spiritually. I especially love "top three moments" part. It brought tears. What a wonderful thing a mission is for a young man. Thanks to all for supporting Nate. We cannot thank you enough. Cindy

So to start off this week thanks mucho for all of the letters and packages this week! Its been alot of fun and a huge morale booster to get so much food and letters this week! Definitly a huge blessing and something that makes me work harder!! I love them!! Last week i had an amazing experience at the temple and i have been praying mucho to be a powerful instrument in the lords hand, well i am starting to see that. This week i have visted with two people in the rc and after long converstations i have commited them to church which is a big deal!! Both were baptisit and have had doubts about their faith. So that was a pretty cool experience! But the best was when i was just sitting in the Rc, where we get phone calls, while i was there a man called me asking about a one year initation thing which i had no idea, after alot of talking to him i found out he liked a mormon girl and she had light heartedley told him it would be a year if he joined before he could marry her, which i told him was the temple. Anyways he knew nothing of our church before he called me, he just had a crush on this girl, he is 37 years old and is a pastor in a church in Pheonix and owns a Taxi cab business there, we visited for an hour or more and everything we visited about he was so exicted for!! I would answer his most soul searching questions without even thinking it was difficult, like he didn't know families will live together forever, which he was pumped about because then he can hang out with his future wife forever! I pretty much told him everything i knew and he was so excited his voice was all quivering! Anyways to make a long story short i commited him to baptism and to go to church on sunday and i was so excited when i said he would love to! Because our church makes complete sense! Too bad i wont be the one to baptise him, but a good missionary in phoenix will have the easiest investigator of his life! haha i loved it and i can say it was in my top three happiest moments of my life!! After that experince nothing really that cool has happened, my spanish is fantastic and im loving it here, prayer works and is an awesome thing!! The food rocks and halloween here was alot of fun! We did absolutley nothing to do with it haha, i didnt even know it was halloween until i got a package that day from the sutherlands!! haha anyways i miss you all alot and im loving it here!! It goes by too fast though haha, i want it to slow down! anyways love you all so much!! If i had time i would write you all personally but i only have an hour or so! But i try and i love you all!!!! Peace!